Bloody Beaver

Comanche Jack Stilwell worked as a teamster on the Santa Fe Trail, hunted buffalo on the southern plains, and participated in the famous Battle of Beecher Island – all before the age of 19 years of age. Jack continued scouting for the Army against the Cheyenne, Comanche, Apache, Kiowa, and Arapaho before pinning on a badge and chasing down outlaws in Indian Territory. Despite these accomplishments, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Comanche Jack. But what about his brother, Frank? While the name Frank Stilwell likewise may not ring a bell, I’m willing to bet you’ve seen Frank’s death portrayed on film on more than one occasion; an incident that saw frontiersman extraordinaire Comanche Jack come gunning for the famous Wyatt Earp.   The Battle of Beecher Island - https://www.wildwestextra.com/the-battle-of-beecher-island/   Liver Eating Johnson - https://www.wildwestextra.com/liver-eating-johnson/   Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me!

War is hell. I know that sounds cliché but there’s a simple, irrefutable truth in that short yet powerful statement, one that is unchanging through time. Although our modern weapons may not be the same now as they were in the past, the end result is the same. Death, dismemberment, chaos, and pain. Grieving families, survivor guilt, and, sometimes, an elation that borders on the euphoric. For tribes like the Shoshone, Cheyenne, Blackfeet, and the Crow, war was an unfortunate yet necessary part of life. And for centuries untold these tribes clashed with their enemies on battlegrounds with no names, in skirmishes long forgotten. And the warriors who emerged victorious are likewise lost to history. Well, on today’s episode we’ll take a glimpse behind the curtain. Find out what it was like to accompany the Shoshone into battle, to hear the cries of victory mixed with the agonizing wails of mourning. This is the fourth installment William T. Hamilton’s My Sixty Years on the Plains, chapter’s 7 and 8 if you’re readi

This bonus episode comes to us from Lori Davis and her excellent podcast Her Half of History. Brand new episode of The Wild West Extravaganza still scheduled for Wednesday but I thought I'd go ahead and share this as well. Enjoy! This woman is a superhero. She escaped herself and then put herself in danger many times to help others do the same. During the Civil War, she served as a nurse and educator and spy and commanded a charge of armed men. All without any formal education herself. After the war she continued to find so many ways to help her fellow human beings that if she were anybody else, that would be the story. As it is, it all feels like an afterthought to her underground railroad and civil war work. My major source for today was Kate Clifford Larson’s biography Bound for the Promised Land. The first biography of Tubman was written in 1869 by Sarah Bradford, Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman.    Her Half of History - https://herhalfofhistory.com/   Bound for the Promised Land by Kate Clifford Lar

How can we be so certain that Pat Garrett really killed Billy the Kid? Today we take a look at all of the evidence – the eyewitness accounts, official documentation, coroner’s jury report, etc. – all proving that Billy did indeed come to his demise at Fort Sumner in 1881. We also dispel a few myths, discuss why there was no reason for Garrett to take a photo of the Kid, define what the term anecdotal means, and why – at the end of the day – I think it’s ok for us to disagree.   Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Join Into History for ad-free and bonus content! https://intohistory.com/wildwestextra/   Were people allowed to view Billy’s dead body? https://btkcoalition.com/btk-history-blog/f/debunking-brushy-were-people-allowed-to-view-billys-dead-body   Dr. Robert Stahl | Pleading for Death Ce

From investigating the Fountain disappearance to working as Sheriff of Dona Ana County, and appointed as the Collector of Customs by Teddy Roosevelt himself, Pat Garrett seemed to be living up to the notoriety gained from killing Billy the Kid. Unfortunately it would all come crashing down. Just a few years after the turn of the century, an aging Garrett would find himself out of a job and deeply in debt. Things would even get so bad that Pat’s family property was seized and auctioned, and the once proud lawman was reduced to begging friends for money in order to feed his family. And then came the goats. Ah, the goats. Pat leased his remaining land to an easy-going cowpoke named Wayne Brazel; a decision that would ultimately cost Garrett his life. Who killed Pat Garrett? The answer might surprise you! This is part 5 and the final installment in the Pat Garrett series. Links below for previous episodes.   Pat Garrett | Origin Story (part 1) - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-origin-story-part-1/   Pa

In February of 1896, Albert Jennings Fountain and his 8-year-old son Henry vanished off the face of the earth, never to be seen again. The pair had been travelling near the present day white sands missile range in New Mexico when disaster struck; an abandoned wagon and blood stains the only clues alluding to their fate. To this day no bodies have been discovered and, although suspects abound, ultimately nobody will be held responsible. Who was Albert Jennings Fountain? What dark secrets did he uncover that made him a target for the unthinkable? What does all of this have to do with Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid? Strap in for this one as we delve into one of the greatest mysteries of the Old West, a whodunnit involving everyone from crooked politicians to notorious outlaws. This is part 4 in a series on Pat Garrett. Links below for the previous installments. Pat Garrett Part 1 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-origin-story-part-1/   Pat Garrett Part 2 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-pat-

Pat Garrett, along with deputies John W. Poe and Kip McKinney, make one final push into Fort Sumner in search of Billy the Kid. In doing so, they immortalize themselves. Also discussed in this episode is whether or not Pat Garrett was a coward. Was Billy the Kid armed when he met his end? How do we know for sure that Billy was indeed killed that night at Fort Sumner? Why wasn’t a photograph taken of the Kid’s body and why was he so quickly buried? This is part 3 in the series on Pat Garrett. Link to previous installments below.   Pat Garrett | Origin Story (part 1) - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-origin-story-part-1/   Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Join Into History for ad-free and bonus content! https://intohistory.supercast.com/   Looking for the Billy the Kid series? Start

Pat Garrett is now the Sheriff of Lincoln County and he’s got one job – to put an end to his old friend, Billy the Kid. And you better believe he wastes no time in starting on the hunt. Aiding him in these efforts are Secret Service Agent Azariah Wild and Texas cattleman investigator Frank Stewart. Also discussed in this episode: Barney Mason, the raid on Fort Sumner, Pat Garrett’s confrontation with two Puerto de Luna badmen, his refusal to be arrested, the standoff with an armed mob in Las Vegas, Bob Olinger’s likely affliction, Billy’s escape from the jail in Lincoln, Sheriff Garrett’s immediate reaction, the Kid’s reasons for sticking around Fort Sumner, and more! This is the 2nd installment in a series on the life of Pat Garrett. Link to the previous episode below.   Pat Garrett | Origin Story (part 1) - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-origin-story-part-1/   Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/conta

On the night of July 14th, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid. In doing so he not only helped create a legend, but he also ensured that his legacy would forever be intertwined with that of the notorious outlaw. And let’s be honest – it ain’t that great of a legacy. Many consider Garrett to be a coward, at best; a no-good backstabbing Old West Judas who betrayed his own friend for a handful of silver. What’s more, Pat is also labeled as a rank liar and an ego maniac. A glory seeker would turn on his own mother if that meant earning a little dough and building up his own reputation.  And, over 26 years after he gunned down The Kid, Pat himself would be shot and killed under similar circumstances. A murder that to this day remains unsolved. Who killed Pat Garrett? How accurate is the narrative surrounding the former Sheriff of Lincoln County? Is all the hate deserved? And who was Garrett anyway? What was his life like before he met the Kid? And what became of Pat in the decades following that fateful

Who invented scalping? The Native Americans? Or did the Europeans introduce the atrocious behavior to the New World? The answer – like much of history – is complicated. In this latest installment of My Sixty Years, we join the young fur trapper William Hamilton as he, Old Bill Williams, and the others embark upon the Wind River Country where they make contact with both the Blackfeet and the Shoshone. Brutality and trade ensues.   Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   My Sixty Years On The Plains by W.T. Hamilton - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1695768930?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=1695768930&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_d_asin   Merchandise! https://www.teepublic.

Before he became known as Old Bill Williams, the gaunt and scarred Mountain Man was a Methodist preacher who attempted to bring the gospel to the Osage people. Bill lived among the Osage, married into the tribe, helped them negotiate a treaty, and even translated the Bible into their language. It’s said, however, that it was the Osage who ultimately ended up converting Williams. Sadly, Bill’s Osage wife passed away and he pressed further west to the Rockies, becoming a free trapper and trader (as well as a prolific horse thief). Often known as “Old Solitaire”, Williams rode with the likes of Jed Smith, Kit Carson, and Joseph R. Walker and scouted for both Bonneville and Fremont. And, according to rumors, Bill would do whatever it took to survive, including dining on human flesh during starving times. Luck would have it that Bill Williams was also the mentor of William T. Hamilton. In this installment, young Hamilton joins the Lakota in an attempt the retrieve horses stolen by the Pawnee and in doing so has hi

In the year 1842, a sickly 19-year-old named William T. Hamilton embarked on a journey to the Rocky Mountains accompanied by famed frontiersman Old Bill Williams. Over the course of the next several decades, Hamilton worked as a fur trapper, trader, lawman, guide, hunter, and scout. He’d ride with other notable figures such as George Armstrong Custer and General George Crook, take part in numerous engagements with hostiles, travel the west extensively, and finally – as a very old man – write a book titled My Sixty Years On The Plains: Trapping, Trading, and Indian Fighting. It's not too often on The Wild West Extravaganza that we hear from first-hand accounts but that’s exactly what we’re going to do today. Join me as Mr. Hamilton talks of leaving St. Louis and falling in with the fur trappers, of their encounters with Kiowa and Cheyenne and he describes, in glorious detail, taking part in a buffalo hunt. And, just as a bonus, if you’ve ever thought about making pemmican, Hamilton gives a pretty detailed reci

This is part 2 in a two-part series. Please check out the link below for the first installment. And please check out the book Cherokee Bill: Black Cowboy Indian Outlaw by Art Burton! Cherokee Bill, notorious outlaw of the Indian Territory, met his fate on March 17, 1896, when he was executed at Fort Smith, Arkansas. Following his death, his family took his body to Fort Gibson and buried him at the Cherokee National Cemetery in Fort Gibson, known today as the Citizens Cemetery of Fort Gibson. And less than a year following the execution, Bill’s young brother Clarence squared things up with Ike Rogers, the former Deputy who betrayed and captured Cherokee Bill. Also mentioned in this episode: Hanging Judge Isaac Parker, Henry Starr, The Harder They Fall, Johnny Cash, and Frank Canton.   Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Free Newsletter! https://wil

Despite his young age, Cherokee Bill’s boldness and audacity surpassed that of many outlaws on the Western frontier, making him a truly exceptional badman. What set Bill apart, first and foremost, was his status as an African American residing in the Indian Territory. Additionally, he was a Native American and a member of the Cherokee Nation through his mother’s lineage, making his background all the more unique. And when Bill joined forces with the Cook brothers, he displayed a fatalistic mindset, seemingly expecting to meet his demise at every turn and leaving a trail of dead men in his wake. Many of the desperados who aligned themselves with the Cook gang during the summer of 1894 came to an early grave, Cherokee Bill included. And when asked if he had any final words his reply was “I came here to die, not make a speech.”   Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee

John “Liver Eating” Johnson was the inspiration behind 1972’s Jeremiah Johnson but the real man’s life was even more extraordinary than portrayed on film. Johnson/Johnstone was a sailor, soldier, fur trapper, prospector, scout, Indian fighter, and lawman. Sometimes a good guy, sometimes a bad guy, and always larger than life. Dubbed "Liver-Eating" due to a chilling tale of vengeance, he allegedly killed Crow warriors and consumed their livers, but are these stories true? Later in his life, Johnston assumed the role of constable in Coulson, Montana, and served as a town marshal in Red Lodge. However, his journey came to an end in 1900 when he passed away in a veteran's hospital in Los Angeles. Decades later his remains would be relocated to Cody, Wyoming, where they now rest alongside other legendary figures of the Old West.  Top of Form Top of FormCheck out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! htt

On September 4th, 1886, the mighty Apache leader Geronimo surrendered to the U.S. Army. The last American Indian warrior to formally surrender to the United States. And with him, so went the Indian Wars. The buffalo were gone, the railroads and churches were here to stay, and the wild west was – for the most part – over. But what if I were to tell you that not all of the Apache surrendered and that there were a few holdouts that not only continued to live free but continued to make war with their enemies as well? For the next 45 years! This is the true story of the last of the free and wild Apache.   Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Merchandise! https://www.teepublic.com/user/wild-west-extravaganza   Book Re

Just a few days following the death of Billy the Kid a newspaper out of Las Vegas, New Mexico reported that they had, in their possession, the notorious bandit’s severed trigger finger. Others claimed to have Billy’s skull, and clumps of his hair, and one scoundrel was even peddling a skeleton he declared to be the recently deceased Billy Bonney. How true were these claims? Was Pat Garrett telling the truth when he declared that Billy the Kid was buried fully intact at Fort Sumner? And is Bonney still resting at Fort Sumner undisturbed? And how do we know where he’s actually buried, anyway?    Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Merchandise! https://www.teepublic.com/user/wild-west-extravaganza   Book Recommenda

Tascosa, Texas, in those turbulent times of the 1880s, epitomized lawlessness and chaos. It was a place where legends were born, and outlaws roamed freely. The echoes of Billy the Kid's footsteps still reverberated through its dusty streets, mingling with the shadowy presence of Dave Rudabaugh, John Selman, Henry Newton Brown, Charlie Siringo, and countless other fabled figures who had left their indelible mark on the annals of the Old West. And by the time of the “Big Fight” aka the Gunfight at Jenkins Saloon, Tascosa was still as wild as ever. The LS Ranch, located on the outskirts, harbored a band of ex-Rangers whose reputations preceded them. These LS boys were known for their heavy-handedness and soon were bestowed with the moniker of barroom gladiators. It all came to a head on the fateful day of March 21st, 1886. It was then that Ed King, a bona fide barroom gladiator, rendezvoused with his paramour and dance-hall gal, Sally Emory, just beyond the threshold of Jenkins Saloon. Unbeknownst to King, Sally

Al Swearengen was the notorious owner of Deadwood’s Gem Theatre, which quickly became one of the boom town's most popular entertainment venues. Swearengen’s business practices, however, were far from ethical. He coerced desperate women into becoming prostitutes, often through bullying and physical violence, and wasn’t exactly gentle with the menfolk, either. Despite the Gem Theater burning down in 1879 as part of a larger fire that destroyed much of Deadwood, Swearengen was undeterred. He rebuilt the Gem even bigger and better than before only to have it burn again 5 years later.  Once again, Swearengen rebuilt the Gem, but you can’t stop what’s coming. After a series of setbacks and lawsuits, the theatre caught fire a final time, under somewhat mysterious circumstances. Swearengen eventually left Deadwood for Colorado, but his body was found near a streetcar track in Denver a few years later. The cause of his death was never determined, leaving open the possibility of foul play.   Check out the website for m

You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your family. An old adage that the 33rd President of the United States Harry S. Truman knew all too well. Every family has that one black sheep, right? In the case of the Trumans, that shameful distinction fell on James John Chiles, aka Jim Crow Chiles, Harry’s Uncle by marriage; a violent Missouri Bushwhacker who fought alongside Bloody Bill Anderson and Jesse James described by author David G. McCullough as universally hated and the stuff of children’s nightmares. And believe it or not, Chiles got the nickname Jim Crow due to his talent as a dancer. Minstrel dancing, to be precise.  Apparently in the 1830s and 1840’s there was a popular white entertainer by the name of Thomas Dartmouth Rice who performed a song-and-dance routine in blackface while mimicking African Americans. The persona he put on during his act was known as Jim Crow. Rice went on tours all over the country, even in England, and it wasn’t long before “Jim Crow” was jus